Health officials continue to monitor the monkeypox virus, which has been slowly creeping under the radar as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Is Monkeypox in the U.S.?
STAT News reports that more than 200 people across 27 states have possibly been exposed to the monkeypox virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with local health officials to monitor the cases.
This slight monkeypox outbreak began after a Dallas resident traveled back to Texas from Nigeria. The resident traveled from Nigeria to Atlanta and then from Atlanta to Dallas.
- Per The Hill, the patient is still hospitalized with monkeypox as health officials try to contact those who might have been exposed to the virus. It’s unclear why the resident is hospitalized since he is in stable condition.
What monkeypox symptoms look like
BBC News recently outlined the symptoms of monkeypox, detailing how symptoms will play out over a few days.
- The illness begins with a fever, headaches, swelling of different body parts, back pain and muscle aches, which sound similar to a normal cold.
- Then, the fever will stop and a rash will develop. The rash often begins “on the face then spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet,” according to BBC News.
- The extremely itchy rash will then go through different stages before it becomes a scab that falls off. The scabs can then create scarring.
- Most cases are mild, according to BBC News, and the symptoms often resemble what happens with chickenpox.
Monkeypox treatment
Per the CDC, “There is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection.”
However, the U.S. has contained small outbreaks in the past using the smallpox vaccine, as well as some antiviral medication and the vaccinia immune globulin (VIG), according to the CDC.